Authorities arrested a Florida business owner in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed young man caught urinating outside of a bar on a building owned by the suspect, reports say.
The Key West Police Department identified the victim as Garrett Hughes.
The suspect, Lloyd “Preston” Brewer is behind bars on one count of homicide and one count of a weapons-related offense, Monroe County jail records show.
It’s unclear if Brewer, 57, entered a plea to the charges or retained an attorney to comment on his behalf.
According to FL Keys News, Hughes, 21, was allegedly shot to death in the parking lot of Conch Town Liquor and Lounge in Key West, Fla., after midnight Monday.
Citing surveillance footage reviewed by Assistant Monroe County State Attorney Joseph Mansfield, the outlet reports Hughes was urinating on the side of the bar, when Brewer, the building owner, allegedly approached him outside and fired a gunshot into the victim’s abdomen.
Brewer allegedly told police he acted in self-defense.
“There is no justifiable claim to self-defense because the kid was never armed and never advanced on the shooter,” said Mansfield, per the outlet. “The shooter advanced on him.”
Both Brewer and Hughes were allegedly intoxicated at the time of the incident, the paper reports.
Brewer was taken into custody on the scene, while Hughes was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to his obituary, Hughes “brought laughter, joy, and happiness to everyone around him. He had a smile that could light up a room, and a heart as big as the ocean.”
“His passion for life, living every day to its fullest, was evident to all who knew him,” his obituary reads. “He will be remembered for his fierce loyalty to his family and friends, and the love he had for his hometown.”
Source: people